Method of operating internal-combustion engines.



.KLEED, being citizens UNITED STATES PATENT orrrcii.

i WILLIAIVI H. FURNESS, OF NATIONAL PARK, FRITZHEIDLBERG, OF JERSEYCITY, AND

CHARLES E. VANDEBKLEED, OE COLLINGSWOOD, NEW JERSEY.

METHOD OF OPERATING INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM H. FUR- NESS, FRITZ HEIDLBERG, and CHARLESE. VANDERKLEED, residents of National Park, Gloucester county, NewJersey; Jersey City,

Hudson county, New Jersey, and Collingswood, Camden county, New Jersey,respecwe, the said FURNESS and VANDER- of the United States, and I, thesaid Hnrnnenno, being a subject of the Emperor of Austria, have inventedcertain Methods of Operating Internal-Combustion Engines, of which thefollowing is a specification.

One object of our invention is to provide a method of utilizing certainof the heat now wasted or lost in the operation of internal combustionengines, with a view to materially increasing the power secured from thecombustion of a given quantity of fuel.

It is further desired to provide a method of the nature above indicatedwhich shall permit of the operation of internal combustion engines atsuch a low temperature as will obviate the necessity for the water orair cooling systems commonly used and which shall increase theefficiency of the engine by reducing the thermal gradient between theheated gases and the. cylinder walls.

In carrying out our invention we inject or otherwise admit to the enginecylinder or cylinders, with or preferably independently of the fuel asuflicient amount of a compound such as ammonium car.- bonate, urea,ammonium carbamate, etc'., which at a high temperature is dissociatedinto its constituent gases, absorbing heat from the combustion of thecharge, and lowering the initial pressure resulting from the explosionor combustion of the fuel but maintaining a higher average pressurethroughout the greater part of the piston stroke. The two principalconstituents of ammonium carbonate, which is the material tively,

.we preferably employ, are permanent gases Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented Dec. 10,1918.

Application filed May 13, 1916'. Serial No. 97,371.

tinuing to act expansively until the exhaust is opened. The amount ofammonium carbonate injected or admitted is so regulated that the powerproduced is a maximum with a given fuel consumption, it. appearing thatthis condition is fulfilled when the pressure in the cylinder remains atsuch a point and the temperature falls sutficiently near the endofthaworking stroke, that there is a recombmation of carbon dioxid andammonia with a reformation and precipitation of ammonium carbonatewithin said cylinder before the opening of the exhaust port. Suchopening liberates the nitrogen, excess carbon dioxid and steam,permitting the injection of a new charge of air and combustiblematerial.

Since the gases formed by the compound introduced, in expanding absorbheat, not only from the products of combustion but from the walls of thecylinder and the piston, these latter may be maintained by such gases ata low temperature not requiring the an or water cooling systems commonlyused, and owing to this possibility there is little if any interferencewith the proper lubrication of the various parts.

It is conceivable that compounds other than ammonium carbonate such asurea, am-

monium carbamate, etc., may have the same beneficial eflect as thatabove indicated, when decomposed into their constituent gases in thecylinder of an internal combustion engine at the proper time, and in thepresence of suitable amounts of combustion products and air, and it isto be understood that the use of these would properly fall within thescope of myinvention. Commercial ammonium carbonate, however, appears tobe es pecially suited for this use, since it is easily introduced insuitable quantities, which depend of course upon the dimensions of theengine and to some extent also upon the nature and quantity of the fuelused. Moreover it decomposes into gases without leaving any solidresidue and these gases are permanent at the pressures and temperaturesto which they are exposed during the greater part of the working strokeof the engine. For purposes of our invention it is immaterial what fuelis employed, since in any case it is impossible under working conditionsfor such fuel or the products of its combustion, to combine with the twoinert gases formed by the decomposition additional amounts of the samesolution, not

only added materially to the power of the engine but permitted it to berun indefinitely at a temperature which did not require the operation ofthe water cooling system. We

' have found advantageous results also to accompany the feeding ofammonium carbonate into the cylinders of an automobile.

engine at the rate of from ten to twenty-five drops per minute of asaturated solution of the carbonate and methyl alcohol. In ourexperience however superior results are attained by the use of anaqueous solution of ammonium carbonate, possibly in view of the factthat the water is not combustible.

It is likewise immaterial whether the engine is of the reciprocating orof the rotary type, since in any case the invention contemplates the useof ammonium carbonate or equivalent decomposable though non-combustiblematerial, the effect of which is to exert a high pressure at lowtemperature, and which does not materially decrease during expansion, bythis means converting the explosive effect of the combustion of thecharge into a propulsive effect more nearly related to that of steam inI a steam engine.

It is to be noted that for all purposes of our invention it isimmaterial whether the decomposition of the ammonium carbonate or othersubstance introduced, is due to the heat of the piston or otherstructure upon which it is delivered, or is caused by the heat developedby the combustion of a fuel charge simultaneously with or immediatelyafter its admission to the cylinder. Obvi- Copies of this patent may beobtained for five cents each, by addressing th ously the gas producingcompound may be introduced at other times instead of immediately beforethe ignition of the fuel charge, for by the use of suitable means it canbe introduced at the time of the explosion or even after the same if itshould be considered advisable.

So far as we have been able to determine, the function of the substanceadded to the fuel is that of a retarder of combustion which permits ofthe gradual and relatively more eflicient action of the products ofcombustion. While water may be used as a vehicle or solvent for thesubstance to be decomposed, it is to be understood that other substancessuch as methyl alcohol or similar solvents may be used without departingfrom our invention.

If desired or found advisable, we may recover from the exhaust of theengine the ammonia gas, using for this purpose any of the well knowndevices and methods.

We claim 1. The method of operating an internal combustion engine whichconsists in supplying thereto a combustible charge and ammoniumcarbonate; and igniting the charge and substantially simultaneouslydecomposing the ammonium carbonate into its gaseous constituents toproduce a body of gases for actuating the moving element of the engine.

2. The method of operating an internal combustion engine which consistsin supplying thereto a charge of fuel and a relatively small quantity ofa solution of ammonium carbonate; igniting the fuel and deco1nposing theammonium carbonate to produce a body of gases for actuating the movingelement of the engine; and exhausting the expanded gases.

l/VILLIAM H. FURNESS. FRITZ HEIDLBERG. CHARLES E. VAN DERKLEED.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. l

